


The One Where The Ancients Do Something Right After All

by respoftw



Series: Tumblr Prompts - McShep edition [6]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, POV Rodney McKay, Soulmates, those wacky Ancients
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-24 00:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7486965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AU for @dragonlover44</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where The Ancients Do Something Right After All

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dragonlover44](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonlover44/gifts).



“ – odney, can you hear me? Come on, buddy.  Open those baby blues for me.”

Rodney groaned as he became aware of the various aches and pains that invariably followed collapsing to the ground after being hit by yet _another_ beam of Ancient light.  He went through his mental checklist as he worked up the courage to open his eyes and see the damage for himself.   
  
Limbs all in place – _check_ ; Breathing free and clear – _check_ ; Clothes on – _check_ ; Mental faculties – he quickly calculated pi to 36 decimals - _check_.   
  
Deciding that all was about as good as it could be, considering, he opened his eyes to see the flash of relief that swept across John’s face before he schooled his expression into a smirk.   
  
“That was one hell of a landing, buddy,” he said.  “I give it a 9.2.  You didn’t point your toes.”    
  
John’s easy words were betrayed by the secure grip he had on Rodney’s shoulders and the way his eyes swept down the length of him, looking for injuries, so Rodney only gave him a light glare.   
  
“Yes, well Colonel, I’ll make sure to fall a bit more gracefully the next time.”  Rodney’s back cracked as he sat up and John’s mouth twisted in sympathy as he moved with him – hand still in place.  Rodney was grateful for the comfort.  Waking up from unconsciousness was never a very pleasant experience and having someone there to help centre him was always appreciated.  He knew John felt the same way – it was half the reason that Rodney always camped out by his hospital bed; not wanting John to wake up alone.  Of course, the other half of his reason was because he didn’t want John to wake up without him being here which, although it sounded similar in thinking to the first reason, was very different and much more foolish.  He had just managed to stagger to his feet when Carson and a medical team burst through the door.

“Hey doc,” John said, his hand now securely on the small of Rodney’s back, supporting him as he stretched out the crick in his back.  “He woke up just a few seconds ago, he was out for about four minutes total.”  

Rodney just hummed in agreement, trusting John to give Carson the pertinent information.

“Well, Rodney, why don't we get you checked out,” Carson said.  “I dinnae want to end up missing something and end up floating ten feet in the air again.”

 _Oh, please_ , Rodney thought.  As if he could be unlucky enough to end up being hit by an Ascend-o-meter more than once.  He opened his mouth to say that very thing just as Carson took over from John and guided him toward the waiting gurney.  He had barely had time to form the first sound before pain flooded his senses.  

Between one moment and the next he felt his body stiffen up - becoming rigid and inflexible.  Nothing had ever hurt this much.  He couldn't conceive of this much pain even _existing_ in the world.  The room ceased to exist, John and Carson ceased to exist. Even he ceased to exist.  All that was left was the white hot pain that stretched across everything.  He had only just realised that the agonising screams that were buzzing through his head were his before the darkness took him and he could no longer hear anything at all.

Rodney floated.  

Even in the darkness, the pain was absolute.  There were no sounds, no sense of awareness at all.  Only pain.  Rodney didn't know how long it lasted - time couldn't stand against the force of this pain.  It could have been years.  

All he knew was that, for one brief flashing moment the pain eventually stopped.

_ (“Bloody hell...Colonel…”) _

Words filtered through the haze as Rodney tried to pull himself together.  He felt like he'd been broken into a million little pieces so it would probably take him a while.  

_(“gimme a sec...wait...now let go”)_

Rodney felt himself shatter again as the pain came back; felt the pieces of him start to drift away again in the steady flow of blackness that followed in the pain’s wake.

He thought it might be kinder if it never stopped - he wasn't sure he could survive its brief absence again.  He didn't think he could cope with being pulled into the darkness again.

It was almost a relief when he lost the ability to think at all.

 

* * *

The beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing he was aware of.  By the speed of the beeps, he knew it was his.  Carson was always on at him to get his blood pressure down - he wouldn't believe that Rodney just naturally had a faster heart rate than anyone else.  

His mouth was dry and Rodney only hoped that whatever had ended him up in here was mild enough to allow him an actual drink of water rather than those damn ice chips.  

The memory of the accident hit him all at once - the beam, the waking up, the - -

Rodney shuddered.   _The pain._  Oh God, whichever quack had said that the body couldn't remember pain deserved his medical degree revoked.  The beeps of the heart monitor spiked faster and faster until Rodney was struggling to breathe and -

“Breathe, Rodney.  I've got you, buddy.  I'm here.”

_John._

Slowly, Rodney got his heart rate and breathing under control. John was here.  Now that he was more aware, he could feel the rough warmth of John's hand on his arm.  It felt nice.

Rodney tugged on John’s hand, pulling until his entire arm rested against Rodney.  He hummed in pleasure.  This was nice.  John should always be touching him.

“I told ye to let let me know when he woke up.”   

Rodney frowned as Carson’s voice intruded on his quiet.  John sounded irritated too, when he answered which Rodney approved of.  He was starting to think he might be high on the lack of pain.

“He just woke up,” John defended.  “And besides, it’s not like I can let go and come get you.”

 _Damn right_ , Rodney thought.  He was so inordinately pleased that John wasn’t planning on letting go that it took him a moment to register the “can’t.”  His eyes fluttered open.

“What do you mean: _can’t_?” he demanded.  “What the hell happened to me?  One minute I was fine - I mean, not fine, I’m pretty sure my back was going to require some serious deep tissue massage - but then it was - - _oh god_.”  Rodney felt his stomach turn as the memory of the pain eclipsed his thoughts again.  Carson was by his bedside in an instant, holding out a kidney shaped bowl for him to be sick in.  Rodney tried not to dwell on the fact that there was nothing but thin bile to come up.  He’d had a pretty big lunch - the cafeteria had made lasagna - about an hour before the accident - he’d obviously vomited copiously at some point during the pain filled haze.  Instead, he concentrated on the gentle rubbing of John’s hand on his back.  

Which - as amazing as it felt - was yet another clue that something very weird had happened.  Yes, they were infirmary buddies.  Yes, they each made it a point to be there waiting while the other was indisposed but never - ever - had that extended to being there for the disgusting medical part of things.

“Someone tell me what’s going on,” he pleaded once he was done heaving.

Carson sighed.  “We don’t rightly know.”

“Well what the hell use is that?”  he yelled.  “Do you have any idea what that felt like?  And you don’t know what caused it?”  Rodney broke off, suddenly pale.  “Oh, God,” he whispered, “it’s going to happen again, isn’t it?  This is just another temporary reprieve.”  He turned to John with wide eyes.  “Please, John.  I can’t go through that again.  I won’t.  You have to promise me you won’t let me.  Kill me first, John.  Please.”

John looked at him with horror.  “God no, Rodney.”  He shook his head and Rodney was reminded of John’s refusal to say goodbye on the pier.  “We don’t know what exactly was happening to you but we know how to stop it.”

Rodney felt the relief crash over him like a tidal wave.  “You do?” he asked Carson.  “Well, whatever it is, you have my permission.  What is it?”

Carson shuffled nervously, clearly hesitating to answer and John sighed.

“It’s _this,_ ” he said, gesturing to his hand which had never left Rodney’s arm.  “When I said I couldn’t let go, I meant that I _can’t let go_.  Not without the pain coming back.”

Rodney blinked.   _What?_

“What?” he said.

Carson took over the explanation after John shrugged.  “While you were...out, Radek did some research on the device you touched.  It seems as though the Ancients were interested in, ah, well, ah..”

“Oh for - - “  John rolled his eyes at Carson’s dithering, “they had read one too many Star Trek fanfictions and thought it would be cool if they could find their soulmates.  Except the machine they created to help them find them didn’t give them a unique tattoo that only their soulmate shared or implant a counter into their skin that counted down until the moment that they met.  Instead, it caused agonising pain - pain that almost everyone who used the device died from - until their soulmate touched them.”

Rodney glanced down at John’s hand.  This was..this was a lot to take in.  He needed a moment to process this.  Carson hovered worriedly while Rodney took time to collect his thoughts.  John just made himself comfortable, shifting his hand until his arm was around Rodney’s shoulders and settling on the bed next to him.

“Spirk?” Rodney asked after a moment.

“Nah,” John said.  “I was never a huge fan of Spock.”

“What?” Rodney whirled on him, betrayed.  “What’s wrong with Spock?  He was chief science officer.”

“Yeah, but I always preferred the grumpy doctor.”  John grinned.

Rodney decided he could live with that.  

“Wait a minute,” he said, suddenly fearful, “does this mean that we have to be within arms reach for the rest of our lives - or at least until I can find a way to reverse this?”

“Nope,” John grinned.  “Just until we ‘ _cement the bond_ ’.”

“Sex?” Rodney asked hopefully.

“Sex,” John agreed.

Rodney couldn’t believe his luck.  This was - - “Carson,” he snapped, “do you mind?  We kind of need the room here.”

“Oh for the love of - here ye daft buggers.”  Carson tossed them a packet of lube.  “Call me on the radio when you’re done and please, for the love of God, put some clothes on before I come in to make sure it's worked.”

It worked.

Never, Rodney thought, let it be said that the Ancients were totally useless after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on [tumblr](http://buffycuddlespigs.tumblr.com)


End file.
